East Bay gangsters are stealing automobiles in droves, due to a authorized gadget anybody should buy

OAKLAND — Within only one hour, the identical group of thieves pulled up in a stolen black Dodge Durango to 2 totally different shops right here, smashed by way of the entrance, and unloaded hundreds of {dollars} in money, lottery tickets, cigar wraps and different merchandise earlier than making a getaway.

By November, police had recognized and arrested simply one of many 4 masked suspects within the September break-ins. But after they raided his Fremont residence, they discovered proof of extra crimes: Dodge key fobs and a easy key reprogrammer equipment that’s the main software of the commerce for car thieves across the state, in response to courtroom information.

Key reprogrammers will be hooked into plugs behind panels of contemporary automobiles — from the costly and trendy to clunkers — and are used to help homeowners who’ve misplaced their keys. But the know-how is ripe for misuse, in response to police. Anyone should buy them on-line, and a knowledgable thief can use them to begin and steal a automotive in about 30 seconds, authorities say.

The suspect within the two Oakland retailer break-ins, recognized in courtroom information as 18-year-old Raul Chapina-Gonzalez, has been charged with second-degree theft, housebreaking and vandalism within the Sept. 2 spree. But now East Bay police are additionally investigating Chapina-Gonzalez and others for alleged involvement in a big auto theft ring concentrating on high-end automobiles for resale. At the time of his arrest, Chapina-Gonzalez was out of jail in a case involving allegations he stored a gun and medicines in the identical room as a younger little one in his Fremont residence, courtroom information present.

Authorities say they’ve discovered Instagram posts the place Chapina-Gonzalez posted lists of stolen automobiles on the market, and that equivalent lists had been posted on different accounts. He additionally bragged about getting wealthy off “strikes,” a slang time period for stolen automobiles, in response to police. Another account that posted the equivalent stolen automotive listing additionally posted an image of a number of firearms subsequent to an Autel key reprogrammer typical of these utilized in automotive thefts, and inquired for assist finding somebody who might swap VINs on a stolen Lexus, authorities stated. Thus far, no fees have been filed.

Key reprogrammers, mixed with different methods of the automotive theft commerce, could make re-sale comparatively straightforward. If somebody has entry to a VIN-switching and crooked third occasion re-registration service — generally supplied by native chop store homeowners — they’ll re-register a car, listing it on third-party on-line markets and promote it to an unwitting particular person earlier than the police get smart to the state of affairs.

Generally, the California Highway Patrol recommends drivers ask their automotive producers for “model-specific guidance” on the best way to block the entry level that key re-programmers use, which is an onboard diagnostic port, generally generally known as an OBD II and sometimes accessible beneath a entrance seat panel that has been mandated for passenger automobiles since 1996. Some locks or kill switches will be purchased and put in aftermarket, however the value varies. Other prevention suggestions are extra rudimentary, corresponding to conserving automobiles parked behind residence gates or utilizing a membership gadget to lock the steering wheel.

But a change is perhaps on the horizon. In January, a brand new legislation — AB 486 — will classify key reprogrammers as a possible housebreaking software alongside shaved keys and different such gadgets, and might make their possession a misdemeanor beneath state legislation.

In this case, the auto theft ring seems to be the work of the Baine Gang, a Newark-based Norteño subset whose members have been linked to a number of automotive theft rings through the years, together with a 2022 multi-million greenback theft ring that concerned the usage of a chop store, and a nonfatal capturing in San Pablo that resulted from a automotive proprietor confronting thieves, in response to courtroom information.

In 2023, Chapina-Gonzalez, then a juvenile, was certainly one of a number of individuals investigated in a suspected carjacking crew whose members shot a lady within the leg throughout one theft, with a gun that was later used to kill a person in El Cerrito, authorities stated.

More latest occasions occasions linked to the gang embody a number of cases in Union City, together with one on Sept. 18, the place three suspected members of the automotive theft ring stole a Lexus with a key reprogrammer. Six days later, three to 4 suspects stole a Chevrolet Camaro and threatened the proprietor with weapons when he got here exterior to confront them. Two days after that, a stolen Dodge Charger crashed at a visitors gentle, and the suspect fled. The driver of the opposite car was hospitalized, authorities stated.

Last yr, Alameda County ranked second to solely Los Angeles County in reported auto thefts, although the quantity, roughly 19,000, was nearly a 3rd of what Los Angeles reported. Last yr, 176,230 automobiles had been stolen throughout the state, in response to the CHP, however the model predictability could give most automotive homeowners some peace of thoughts.

A report issued by the CHP this yr tracks the highest 10 most stolen manufacturers of vehicles and vans/SUVs. On both lists, all manufacturers besides one had been both a Hyundai, a Kia, or a Chevrolet.